When a family is stricken with Alzheimer’s, there are tears, broken dreams and broken hearts. My book’s title, “Bleeding Hearts” refers to the pain that is endured with the diagnosis. But it also refers to one of the favorite flowers of the Alzheimer’s patient in my story.
My book is the story of the painful journey we traveled with a family member who had early onset Alzheimer’s. In re-reading the book (one last time before it goes to press) I’ve realized how many people were eventually affected by this single person with the disease. Multiply that by the millions of people around the world who have to suffer such a journey and if only a few could read this book, perhaps it could help some others get through their struggle.
There are no magic books or magic words to help someone in such a struggle. But comfort might be found in reading the way others deal with similar obstacles. Magic doesn’t exist, at least I don’t know of any, so we all move through our lives the best we know how and hope that at the very least, we’ve learned from it and at the other end of the spectrum, that we’ve helped someone else learn.
Additionally my hopes, with this book, are that a foundation would be set up in Gaye’s (the person who had Alzheimer’s in the book) name to help give support to the family members of the one who has Alzheimer’s. For the truth of the matter is, the person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is the patient/victim. But it’s not long before the victim is living in a silent world without knowledge of who they or the ones around them are anymore, so their pain has, somewhat, ended for them. So you see, in my opinion it’s the families of the victims who suffer the most. They are the ones who have to painfully witness the deterioration of the mind, spirit and, eventually, the body of their loved one. They are the ones who have bleeding hearts.
Until next time,
Hugs,
Tami 🙂
Bleeding Hearts 